We’re Hardwired To “Like” Video Marketing

Tony Gnau, T60's Chief Storytelling Office

Tony Gnau, T60’s Chief Storytelling Office

It might very well be my mantra. Video isn’t about facts and figures. Video is about emotion. That’s why video marketing is so powerful. It taps something inside of us.

We all know this deep down, but I’d like to personally thank Forbes for doing some additional digging and research to prove my point.

Brain backing video marketing

Sean Rosensteel wrote a story earlier this year about why businesses need to include online video as a part of their marketing strategies. It breaks down some of the numbers showing how popular online video has become, but then he digs deeper behind “why” video is such a good marketing tool.

For this, he cites Susan Weinschenk, Ph.D., also known as “The Brain Lady.” She pinpoints a few areas…

  • our brains are hardwired to pay attention to faces as a way to gather information and judge whether or not it’s believable.
  • the sound of the human voice converts information into meaningful content.
  • emotions are contagious. We see something that appeals to our senses and we want to share it.
  • our brains are naturally drawn to movement.

Taking these physiological facts into account, it’s no wonder why video is such a powerful marketing medium.

Helpful tip

The area that actually peaked my interest was the first one about faces. I think a lot of less experienced video producers cover as many of the talk-head shots as possible with “better” video. While I like to cover-up talking-heads as well, it’s important to pay attention to what the talking-heads are saying. If it’s something of critical importance, something that gets to the heart of the video, you should always make sure it’s being said on-camera.

Anyway, all four are interesting points, and they certainly make sense. Video is about emotion, and that’s why it’s so powerful.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.